Aston Villa have progressed encouragingly since the arrival of Unai Emery in October 2022, however there is still a long way to go for the Villans before their expectations are achieved.
In his first season at Villa Park, Emery took the side he inherited from Steven Gerrard from 16th place to 7th, transforming the level of standard in the Midlands and landing Villa a place in the 2023/24 Europa Conference League.
With the former Arsenal boss firmly guiding his squad in the right direction, highlighted by their start to the Premier League season as they sit just one point below the top four, the future looks to be bright for the Villans.
As well as improving the situation on the pitch, Emery was joined by former colleague at Sevilla, Monchi, to orchestrate a successful summer of transfers, as five high profile acquisitions arrived to bolster the squad at Villa Park.
The Spanish duo shattered Villa’s record-transfer fee to welcome £51.9m forward Moussa Diaby to the club, with the highly-rated 24-year-old’s decision to join Villa telling of how far the side had progressed since the new manager’s arrival.
Despite starting this season well and hiring strongly in the summer, the January transfer window is fast approaching, with one name linked to Villa after being rumoured to be of interest to the Midlands club during the summer market.
Who could Aston Villa sign in January?
According to new reports, Aston Villa are speculated to be one of the sides eyeing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
As reported by 90min, Villa are joined by West Ham United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur as those monitoring the 27-year-old’s situation as he struggles to secure game time for the treble winners.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Midlands side have been linked to the Englishman, with the Times suggesting that the Villans were the frontrunners to secure his signature last summer in a deal rumoured to be worth £60m as his future at Leeds United was questioned.
Rumours resurfaced this summer after his first season at City, as Football Insider named Villa as an interested party in the midfielder, claiming that they were not put off by his desire to remain in Manchester.
While reports remain purely as speculation, given Villa’s previous admiration for the former Leeds dynamo, the movements of Phillips in the January transfer window could be something to keep an eye on.
How much is Kalvin Phillips worth?
After spending £45m to welcome the Englishman to the Etihad, times have been far from smooth for Phillips, despite picking up medals in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in his first season in Manchester.
The 27-year-old has had the privilege of witnessing history unfold in the 2022/23 campaign at City, watching from the bench more than being part of it as he played just 593 minutes over the entirety of the season in all competitions.
After capturing the eye of Pep Guardiola due to his formidable performances at Leeds, the midfielder has faced the harsh reality of being a sporadic player low in the ranks at City, with those ahead of him in the pecking order carrying a world-class calibre.
As a result, the Englishman’s market value has taken a huge decline, signing as a £45m talent to currently sporting a value of just €10m (£8.7m), attributive to his first year at City being spent primarily on the bench.
With the European Championships coming in 2024, there are some questions to be asked as to whether Phillips can afford to continue to occupy a sporadic role at the Etihad, as his career ticks away and his actual ability is less thought about.
How much does Kalvin Phillips earn?
After spending his entire career at Leeds prior to his move to Manchester, there was little debate to be had when it came to Phillips’ choice to make the bold decision to leave his boyhood club.
At Elland Road, the midfielder was living the dream, playing at the top of his game for his club while picking up a weekly wage of £30k-per-week, a figure that rocketed when he flew the nest.
Currently, the City outsider collects £150k-per-week, earning more than first-team starlet Julian Alvarez, who earns £50k-per-week less than the Englishman.
In his first year with the Sky Blues, Phillips picked up a sum of £7.8m, which is mind-blowing when realising that the midfielder was paid around £1.95m-per-start for the four starts he made across the entire campaign.
Where could Kalvin Phillips fit in at Villa?
There is a lot to be said of Phillips’ mentality, however it’s somewhat over-ambitious and borderline naive to believe that there is some practicality in battling a midfield phenomenon as inevitable as Rodri for a place in the squad.
It’s unfortunate that the former Leeds man's talent and career trajectory so far has amounted to him being a bench player, especially when considering how different his progression could have been if he joined Villa instead of City in 2022.
He wouldn’t have won any of the accolades that he did last season, but he wouldn’t be in the situation of having to look for solutions to prevent his career from derailing due to lack of game time.
January could be the perfect time for Villa to finally join forces with the Englishman, who could give to Emery’s side as much as they could give back.
Rumours of potential interest in Phillips has surfaced at a time when a midfield vacancy could well be evident in the squad soon, as question marks have appeared over the future of summer acquisition Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian is said to have a ropey relationship with Emery, as reported by Football Insider, and has already gone public while on international duty about his frustrations with not having sufficient game time at Villa Park.
In Phillips, Emery could not only capture a replacement for the wantaway Belgian, but also an upgrade on the former Leicester City star.
If you rewind to the 2021/22 campaign, it’s clear to see just why Villa were interested in the Englishman, and why he was appreciated by Guardiola, for his rounded contribution in the middle of the park.
Tielemans vs Phillips – Premier League 2021/22 per 90 averages
Youri Tielemans
Kalvin Phillips
Tackles
2.53
3.05
Interceptions
0.72
1.35
Blocks
1.61
2.09
Ball recoveries
6.43
10.15
Progressive Passes
6.91
5.24
Figures via FBref
As highlighted in the table above, Phillips has far more of a box-to-box ability than Tielemans, based on his average defensive contribution in the midfield.
This element of his game may come as more of a use to Emery, considering how he favours to line up his midfield in a free-flowing formation, with the City ace having the ability to fulfil the combative elements in the engine room as well as being a competent passer.
Once lauded as “phenomenal” by Fabio Capello, who was full of enthusiasm for the Englishman and his compatriot Declan Rice, Phillips could be handed a chance to revive his career at an exciting time at Villa, in a role that could see him usurp Tielemans.
